Letter to Rep. Allen West – Liberty Today

I was privileged to see (then congressional hopeful) Allen West back in December 2007, and again in Coral Springs last Tuesday. Though I applaud his success, with the best will and intentions, I can’t shake the thought (then and now) that somehow he’s more ‘hand-picked’ than a volunteer. I applaud his rhetoric generally and especially his efforts on monetary policy and the deficit. His generally constitutional voting record is a refreshing change from our previous ‘representatives’ in FL22 (Ron Klein was no ‘representative’ of his constituents). Still, I just see another “Sarah Palin” ‘Conservative‘ all about the military-industrial complex and extending the PATRIOT act.

I see him toeing the line until we want our boys home, then I think we’ll see his true colors. We will, eventually, see. I do, honestly, wish him well.

If I may, I would like to table a question:

Has he read Ron Paul’s ‘The Case For Gold’? If not, why not? If so, would he be willing to take up the cause of the 1982 US Gold Commission Minority Report from the perspective of sponsoring and rhetorically supporting a bill allowing competing currencies (private gold reserve banking) nationwide, or would he view this as incompatible with the function and goals of government?

If he is serious about taking on the size and scope of government (and by extension, our economic woes) in any meaningful way, then the honest fiscal discipline imposed by competing currencies under a zero fractional reserve gold standard would force governments at all levels to reconsider the function and goals of the legislative process from the perspective of what is fiscally possible, instead of what is politically expedient, as is currently the case in all levels of government. As he said:

“I think that if we get back to some basic fundamental principles, we can make sure that we resolve the issues. And I think that that’s what the Tea Party was all about. It’s getting back to a constitutional conservative government. And that is limited, but it’s also effective and efficient. I think that that’s what we’ll be able to do.”

If he is serious about constitutionally limited government, will he take this first step?